The present invention relates to a shoe, and more particularly to a battery powered climate-controlled shoe which controls the climate surrounding a user's foot in the shoe during a wide range of weather conditions.
During outdoor activities performed during the summer months such as walking, mountain climbing, hiking, construction, and the like (where the outside temperature may rise to more than 110.degree. degrees), the temperature inside a person's shoe can easily reach 140.degree., and hence the feet will sweat. Once the feet begin to sweat, athlete's foot blisters and odors can occur soon thereafter.
On the other hand, during winter activities, feet within shoes tend to get very cold. Naturally, a solution is to warm the feet to prevent frostbite and other such maladies. One way to do this is to use a heating pad or other heating devices. However, as a result of the high degree of humidity produced by such devices inserted inside the shoe, the feet may begin to sweat and athlete's foot, blisters and foul odors can occur.
Another general solution to the problem of sweaty feet is through the use of socks. However, once the socks are saturated with sweat the feet are again subjected to a humid environment which permits the development of athlete's foot, blisters, and the like.
Artisans have also attempted to solve this problem by creating shoes with openings so that air can flow into the shoe. Other remedies have also included placing a heating pad inside the shoe, or using a heating system which increases the humidity level within the shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,185 is directed to a heated shoe having a heel, a sole provided with a heating device and an outside face for making contact with the ground, and at least one energy-providing battery located in the heel and connected to the heating device. In this patent, the heating device comprises a heating film or cloth extending over at least a portion of the sole parallel to its outside face. The sole also includes a structure of closed cells extending between the heating film or cloth and the outside face of the sole.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,788 discloses a shoe which includes a shoe sole having an accommodating portion and several ventilation holes formed through the side wall of the accommodating portion. A pressure-operated electric generator is provided in the accommodating portion and produces a voltage signal when pressure is repeatedly applied on the shoe sole during use. A cooling apparatus is provided inside the accommodating portion and produces cold air when the electric generator supplies the voltage signal to the cooling apparatus so as to cool the feet of a user.